Dale Webster

the man of a million waves

With dreary weather and water temperature down to 53 degrees, no one would say it's a perfect day for surfing at Salmon Creek Beach, Bodega Bay, North California. Nevertheless Dale is there, out in the Ocean, sliding and dancing between the waves like he's steadily done for the last 25 years. 

Actually, to be precise, 9,175 days straight; today is October 15, 2000. Yes, because Dale Webster, or as some call him, Daily Wavester, has been surfing  since September 2, 1975, when Bodega-Bay-Surfers'-Disneyland had a fantastic 15-foot waves week. "I surfed the first day, and then the second. I surfed all 7 days, and then I thought 'Let me see if I can keep this going.'" And here he's after an uninterrupted life span of surfing, at the beach at the end of his daily surfing session, dripping cold water from his 5 millimeters thick wet suit, not to mention gloves, boots and hood, talking about his goal: to surf until completing a 28-year lunar cycle.

He won't be content until February 2004 when, at the age of 55, he can reuse the same tides book he had on that February when everything began long time ago. Surely he'll be the first man ever to surf all the waves caused by the moon in all its calendar phases, perhaps a million in all? He already has a few records in his pocket: surfing 25 years straight, during hurricane force winds, with flu, earaches and kidney stones. 

His big disappointment: the Guinness Book of Records doesn't accept any new entries but those that beat a previous record, and since there's nothing like this already in the files, it's likely that he won't see his name published any time soon. 

Since the weather is not always so generous as to give good waves, Webster has set up his personal requirements for a valid daily surf session: at least 3 waves regardless of heights. And nothing can get in between him and his goal, neither the family nor vacations. For instance, he's never been inland. 

A well paid job is probably his biggest regret. Being tied to such a daily schedule has forced Webster to quit jobs when they interfered with surfing. So far, the only reward he has achieved is a free wet suit supply from the manufacturer O'Neill, since he's such a good advertisement for durability, and a kind of wisdom which very likely comes from all that time spent amidst pure nature, offshore in the water. "I want to be remembered not only for the surfing record, but also for some good things I left behind."